Soggy
by AJ and Sebastian Goin
Summary: A soaking wet Abby turns up on McGees doorstep in the middle of the night. McAbby. COMPLETE


AN: A bit of fluffy McAbby drabble for my dear JenJen. Cause she asked nicely. And cause she wanted fluff which means Sebastian has to do the heavy lifting.

MN: This is our first real McAbby fic (more than just a reference) so please feel free to review or PM with any pointers. And did I mention, YAY FLUFF!

Disclaimer: We don't own NCIS or McAbby would have never ceased to exist.

Spoilers: Minor for Seasons 1 and 2.

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"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" McGee hollered at whomever was pounding on his door as he shuffled in its direction, pulling his shirt over his head. It was nearly 2am on Saturday and he'd only just gotten to sleep when the knocking had started. He vaguely registered the sound of pouring rain as he flipped on the light.

He unbolted the door and wretched it open. Seeing the person standing in the hallway he was suddenly wide awake. "Abby?"

The usually chipper Goth pushed in past him and dropped a sodden backpack on his floor. "I'm sorry I woke you Tim but my power went out and it got cold. And you didn't answer your phone."

McGee closed the door and secured the lock. "It's fine Abby. My phone's off. We're on stand down this weekend and I was trying to catch up on some writing and some sleep. And you know you're always welcome here."

He wasn't surprised when the slim woman slammed into him, wrapping her arms around him. Abby was a hugger and he cherished the excuse to be close to her. She was soaked to the bone with icy water. "You're frozen. Let's get you into some dry clothes and warmed up."

Abby poked at her bag with the toe of her boot, grimacing as it squished. "I'm pretty sure that bag isn't waterproof. Which means I have no dry clothes."

He walked toward his bedroom, realizing he was going to have to change his own pajamas after her soggy hug. "Sarah left a pair of shorts here last time she visited and you can use one of my t-shirts. Why don't you go take a hot shower? I'll swap the dry stuff out for your wet clothes and get the lot put in the dryer."

He watched as she crossed to his bathroom and closed the door behind herself before he headed for his bedroom, trying to remember where he had stashed his little sister's pajamas.

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McGee heard the bathroom door open as he stirred the mug on the counter. He knew she'd appreciate the hot cup of herbal tea. She was actually the one who had introduced him to it so many years ago. He dropped the spoon in the sink and grabbed both mugs, carrying them into the living room.

Abby was already curled up at one end of his black leather couch. The blue blanket draped over her had actually been her first Christmas present to him. He couldn't see her long pale legs because of it, but she was wearing his old Johns Hopkins t-shirt and he nearly groaned at the way it hugged her frame. He handed her one of the mugs then sat next to her, wrapping both hands around his own steaming cup.

She delicately sipped the hot liquid and smiled. "You still drink this?"

He couldn't help but return her grin. "Whenever I can't sleep. I figured we could both use the help relaxing if we're going to get any rest. Whenever you're ready, you can take my bed. I'll make up the couch."

Abby shook her head emphatically, her damp black hair waving around her pale face. "No way. I already woke you up and imposed on you. I'm not taking your bed away from you."

McGee rolled his eyes, and knew he probably wasn't going to win this argument. She could be just as stubborn as Gibbs, maybe even worse. But, that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. "Abby, I'm not letting you sleep on my lumpy old couch in the drafty corner of my apartment."

He avoided her eyes as she glared at him, focusing instead on drinking his tea. He regretted having a mouth full of liquid when she spoke. "Fine. We'll just share your bed then."

Narrowly avoiding choking, he gaped at her a moment before managing to squeak out a single word. "Abby!"

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "What's the big deal, Tim? It isn't like we haven't shared a bed before. Besides, we're both adults." She set her now empty mug down. "Come on, I'm tired."

For the second time in under half an hour, McGee found himself staring at her as Abby walked away through his apartment.

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"Tim?" Her voice was quiet and gentle, barely above a whisper. She obviously didn't want to wake him if he'd already managed to fall asleep.

But sleep was proving elusive with the perky forensic scientist sharing his bed. He was far too focused on keeping himself from moving toward her to even attempt to achieve slumber. "Yeah Abbs?"

"Can I ask you something?"

He rolled in place, surprised when he came face to face with her, only a few inches separating them. He had been planning a slightly sarcastic answer, but the look on her face changed his mind. "Of course."

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment before she spoke. "Why didn't things work out with us?"

McGee found himself surprised by the woman in his bed once again. "You know why, Abbs. I want things you don't. I decided your friendship was more important to me."

He realized his mistake a split second before she pointed it out. "_Want_, Tim? As in still do?"

He knew he'd dug himself in deep with the omission of the past tense from that word and it wasn't going to be easy to dig himself out. And he couldn't very well lie to her. He never could. She could see through a fib faster than Gibbs. He decided on avoiding the question all together. "What does it matter?"

Under the blanket, her hand slipped in to his. "Would it matter if I told you that I want different things than I did all those years ago?"

Swallowing hard, McGee gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "What are you trying to say, Abbs?"

Abby's gaze dropped from his and he brought his free hand to her chin, forcing her eyes to return to his as she spoke. "I miss you, Tim."

McGee shook his head and bit back a sigh. That wasn't at all what he'd wanted to hear. "You see me every day at work. And we go out at least once a week. How can you miss me?"

This time he didn't fight her when she dropped her face. "Because, I don't miss your friendship. I miss…"

Now he was getting aggravated. Normally she wouldn't shut up and now she couldn't seem to form a complete sentence. "What? You miss the sex? Because we tried that remember? Didn't work for me."

"No. I mean, yes, I miss the sex, but that's not what I was talking about."

"Then what _are_ you talking about, Abby? Because I'm not a mind reader." He knew his tone was harsh, but somehow she had a way of making him feel vulnerable and exposed and he didn't like it.

"I'm talking about the question you asked me that night at Buzzed." She was willingly staring him in the face now and it only unsettled him more.

"When I asked where our relationship was going? That was a long time ago, Abbs."

"I know. Ask it again, Tim."

Now it was McGee's turn to look away. He couldn't manage to keep his eyes locked with hers as she broke his heart again. "Where is our relationship going, Abby?"

She squeezed his hand tightly and he looked at her despite his efforts not to. "Wherever it has to go for us to be together, Tim."

Before he could fully process what she'd said her lips were on his. The kiss was soft and tender and he reveled in it for several long moments before ending it. He tucked her firmly against his chest, wrapping his arms firmly around her.

"For now, let's go to sleep." He felt her nod against his shoulder before he quickly drifted off.

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"So, McDorkle, what did you get up to this weekend? Get a couple chapters of the next novel hashed out?" Tony was being particularly chipper for a Monday morning, but McGee didn't mind. He was in a pretty good mood himself.

At least, he was, until Gibbs's smack landed firmly on the back of his head. "Boss?"

Gibbs leaned in over his desk and spoke quietly. "Rule 12, McGee."

He had no idea how his team leader did that. He just knew. Everything. "Rule 18, Boss."

They stared at each other for a moment before Gibbs straightened and moved to his own desk. "Grab your gear. We have a Petty Officer in the hospital with a gunshot wound and no recollection of how he got it. You three are going to process his apartment where they found him. I'm headed to the hospital to interview our victim."

McGee grabbed his bag and headed for the elevator, Tony and Ziva on his heels. Once the doors were closed, Tony spun to face him. "What was that all about? I heard Gibbs mention Rule 12. What _did_ you do this weekend?"

Ziva penned him in from the side. "I think the more appropriate question is _who_, not _what_, Tony."

McGee smiled. He knew it wouldn't take his partners long to figure it out, but until they managed it on their own, he was going to enjoy keeping Abby to himself.

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In case anyone needs a reminder:

Rule 12: Never date a co-worker.  
Rule 18: It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.


End file.
